Iron Maiden reading list

Cornfed Hick

Cornfed Hick

Ancient Mariner
One of the great things about Iron Maiden is that their songs contain references to well-known (and some lesser-known) literary works.  Maverick's commentaries do a great job of identifying those references.  Here is a list of some of the literary works expressly referenced in Iron Maiden's music.  The list is organized in chronological order by Iron Maiden song (i.e., not by underlying work).  Where the title of the song is not the same as the title of the literary work, I supply the song title, as well.  This list is not necessarily complete, and no doubt omits some less obvious references.  Please supplement:

1. Dracula - Bram Stoker (Transylvania)
2. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leruoux
3. The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Edgar Allen Poe
4. Julius Caesar - Wm. Shakespeare (Ides of March; The Evil That Men Do)
5. Where Eagles Dare - Alistair Mclean
5. The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred, Lord Tennyson (The Trooper)
6. Quest for Fire - J.H. Rosny-Aine
7. Dune - Frank Herbert (To Tame a Land)
8. The Duel - Joseph Conrad (The Duellists)
9. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
10. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - Alan Sillitoe
11. The Moonchild - Aleister Crowley
12. Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card (Seventh Son of a Seventh Son)
13. Run Silent Run Deep - Edward L. Beach
14. The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (Sign of the Cross)
15. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
16. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (The Edge of Darkness)
17. The Odyssey - Homer (Ghost of the Navigator)
18. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
 
Depends on what you mean by references. I mean, there's some indirect references to William Blake in Paschendale that someone found a while ago, but one would hardly say that it's based on it or anything. And on Death On The Road you have more quotes from Shakespeare's Othello and some Wilfred Owen before Paschendale.

As far as clear references I think you've got a pretty good list there. Though one questionable song would be Stranger in a Strange Land. The title is a reference in itself, but the song has nothing to do with it. Children Of The Damned was a book, I believe, but I think the song is more based off of the movie. Revelations has a passage from a hymn (if you see hymns as being literary). And I'm stuck on Prodigal Son. Obviously it's a bible-reference in itself, but the lyrics seem to be more to do with Greek mythology. I think there's lots of bits and pieces everywhere, but not quite as many clear-cut references.
 
Obviously it's a bible-reference in itself
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The Holy Bible is also referenced in "The Number of the Beast" (Book of Revelations).

I know there aren't direct references to these texts in the lyrics, but the Bible, the Qur'an, and the Torah could all be added after "The Greater Good of God".
 
Number_Six said:
I know there aren't direct references to these texts in the lyrics, but the Bible, the Qur'an, and the Torah could all be added after "The Greater Good of God".
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Maiden Forever would tell you that it should be the Qur'an... <_<

As it is, For The Greater Good of God is more about the actions of specific people, rather than the doctrine their faith preaches.  There are passages in all three texts (and most other religious texts) that have put the world in such a situation described in Maiden's song, but trying to pin down any particular religion as more blameworthy than any other is to defeat the entire message of the song to begin with.
 
A long time ago, I browsed my father's SciFi library (you can call it that, indeed), and it seemed to me that every second title was something Maiden-esque. Obviously, Brave New World was among them, but so were Stranger In A Strange Land (Shrike explained it), Childhood's End by Heinlein, I think (similar to Stranger), and other titles like To Sail Beyond The Sunset, 'The Number Of The Beast' (will check the authors of both books as soon as I'm back home) and a few others.

A few others, from the top of my head:
Modern-day knowledge of the tale of Icarus is mostly based on the works of Ovidius (Ars Amatoria II and Metamorphoses VIII), so you could argue it's an unknowing reference.
The spoken intro to Alexander The Great is a direct quote from Plutarchs biography of Alexander.
I still think that The Aftermath must have been inspired by All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, because there are quite a few lines in the song that strongly reminded me of passages in the book, but I never got around to creating a list. Likewise, The Educated Fool bears remarkable similarities to Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but I'm ready to pass that as a coincidence.
 
Perun said:
A long time ago, I browsed my father's SciFi library (you can call it that, indeed), and it seemed to me that every second title was something Maiden-esque. Obviously, Brave New World was among them, but so were Stranger In A Strange Land (Shrike explained it), Childhood's End by Heinlein, I think (similar to Stranger), and other titles like To Sail Beyond The Sunset, 'The Number Of The Beast' (will check the authors of both books as soon as I'm back home) and a few others.
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"Stranger in a Strange Land", "The Number of the Beast" and "To Sail Beyond the Sunset" are by Robert A. Heinlein, "Childhood's End" is by Arthur C. Clarke.
 
Shadow said:
"Childhood's End" is by Arthur C. Clarke.
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Damn, you're right. It wasn't too long ago that I corrected my dad on that one as well...
 
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